Hopetown Abacos and back to the U.S.

The Abacos

After a lovely sail from Eleuthera we reached the Abacos (a group of islands north of the Exumas and directly east of Florida - often referred to as little Florida) This area is is a very popular destination for sailors and motor yachts as well. 

Condo units on the water in the entrance to Hopetown

View from Hopetown Marina toward the anchorage

Dinner with Chip & Deb (fellow Corbin owners who we originally met in Georgetown and met up with again in Hopetown) Note lighthouse in background)

Elbow Reef Lighthouse in Hopetown- the only manually operated kerosene mantel lighthouse in the world

View half way up the 101 steps

View of the mooring field foreground and the Atlantic Ocean beyond. There is a limited number of mooring balls available and each day new boats come into the harbour and cruise around looking for a vacant ball. We were lucky to have our friends Anthony and Annette scoping one out for us. 

Hopetown Marina

150 year old technology still in operation today

Quaint walk in Hopetown

Beautifully kept cottages

Note the lush vegetation - much different from the Exuma chain of islands 

It is believed that the first loyalists landed on this beach in 1765

Mooring field in the back ground. 

No its not a new kind of fish - its Hannah practicing her front crawl (she's already mastered the doggy paddle)

Our first attempt at "drip castles" Not bad for beginners

View of Whale Cay as we head toward Great Sail Cay and preparing for the gulf crossing to Florida

Enjoying the sun on the bow

Good bye Bahamas - can't wait to come back next year

RKalliste, Copper Penny & Rovenkind in Vero Beach Florida

Thirsty Manatees in Titusville Florida - they love fresh water.

A very sad day - RKalliste out of the water, covered for summer storage,  hurricane straps attached.

We are now back in Canada enjoying reconnecting with our friends and family. We will be heading back to Florida in October to do some much needed maintenance (refinishing teak  and installing new refrigeration - the day we hauled RKalliste our refrigeration died) We will be heading back to the Bahamas for the winter months.

It was an amazing trip. We made new friends - some friends we are sure we will have for life. We saw incredible landscapes, spectacular sunsets and sunrises. And we learned - we learned how to live with less, sail in all kinds of weather conditions, navigate through narrow cuts and shallow waters, avoid crab pots and coral heads, how to fish for the big ones and which ones to throw back, and most of all how to relax, have fun & appreciate every day.